As with most things in life that develop at a rapid pace, the Internet of Things (IoT) may have early adoption issues but ultimately will function smoothly over time. Both the personal and enterprise benefits of living in a fully connected world where everything has some connection to a network will ensure that IoT adoption continues to expand. The current issues around cyber secure and functionality of systems are being addressed, paving the way for future IoT growth. But with today’s reality no CSO or CISO wants to be responsible for IT and/or physical security operations when they don’t have control of what’s connected to the network; they don’t know which security systems were offline or not working; and can’t easily determine which devices were impacted by downtime, data breaches, or compliance issues. No one wants to be that person.
There’s no doubt that IoT’s explosive growth – 80 billion devices will be connected to the web by the year 2025, according to research by IDC – is creating enormous challenges for companies while creating even bigger headaches. While global enterprises are embracing the use of technology to increase profits and to maximize productivity, all of that connected technology needs to be verified, secured, and reliable.
If you have IP-networked security cameras, which is only one example of IoT in physical security, you’re likely doing all that you can to ensure that they are functioning properly. But what about the rest of your enterprise’s physical security IoT devices? Wouldn’t it be useful, even vital, to secure all of your enterprise security solutions using a single platform solution? If a device has an IP address, it can be tracked and verified to ensure it is operating as intended. For example, are your security entrances (such as turnstiles) working? Are your wireless door locks operating correctly? How about your visitor login kiosks and perimeter detection systems?
Viakoo has shown that service assurance and automated verification of physical security system performance can minimize downtime dramatically, while also making detection of cyber threats possible and enforcing tighter control of policies. Viakoo recently augmented that with the addition of the IoT Tracker. Adding to the existing user interface that supports video surveillance and access control, IoT Tracker shows the status of IP-based security devices that you’ve entered in. It’s scalable, it minimizes IT involvement, and it offers a “set it and forget it” approach to verifying device and system performance. IoT Tracker informs you of the operational status, extending Viakoo’s automation to help prevent a lot of potential problems.
There’s a term that’s often used when discussing how IP networks and the multitude of devices on a network should be managed: it’s called “A single pane of glass.” The theory is to use a single solution, not several disparate systems, to manage risk and secure your network environment, including all of the security and IoT devices that are on it. If you haven’t checked it out, take a look at a recent infographic we did called “Console Madness”. Managing disparate systems with equally disparate tools can lead to that form of madness.
What’s your single pane of glass? If you don’t have one, give Viakoo a call or sign up for a demo account to see for yourself at www.viakoo.com/start.
